L.A. PARKER: Cabbies risk it all, and who has their backs?

They pick up passengers in dark places, then transport them to city addresses or occasionally to distant locations.

Larry ďBig HamĒ Hamilton worked for more than 25 years as a local cab driver before someone killed him last week. The beloved cab driver may have picked up his killer near the Trenton Transit Center then ferried him to Burlington, where people found him seated in the driverís seat that for so many years had felt his weight pressed into the springs and foam.

If anyone could make an indelible print in a car seat, Big Ham could. He left a similar mark on his fellow cabbies who considered him a friend, teacher, and supporter.

ďBig Ham was just a good guy who would do anything to help somebody. It kind of blew me away when I heard about it. Just hard to believe that heís gone,Ē Keith, a former city cab driver said.

Keith gave up his cab driver employment for secure pay as a maintenance worker. His new job offers a safer work environment, benefits and vacation, a stark contrast to the 17 years he spent behind the wheel of a cab.

Cab drivers pay taxicab owners approximately $400 per week. They keep whatever else is made while schlepping riders around Trenton, occasionally getting beat on fares. Keith said his new job offers security.

ďYou know it. Iím so happy that I donít drive a cab anymore. Itís dangerous, mainly because people know that you carry cash money. That puts your life in danger each and every time you pick up a fare. You donít know whoís getting into the back of your cab. That person could be the one who robs you, stabs you or takes your life. Driving a cab is tough,Ē Keith said.

Cameras may not prevent robberies or murder but could provide valuable information regarding persons who enter and exit cabs.

A line of cabs parked stand against a Walnut Ave. curb as cabbies wait for the next call, one that could offer paltry pay from a business that barely provides a living.

ďIf we go home with $300 nowadays, thatís a lot of money,Ē lamented Gerard Denot, a Haitian immigrant who has driven a cab for more than a dozen years.

Denot, 63, knows fear. Six years ago he picked up two passengers in Trenton then drove them to Camden where they robbed him.

ďItís part of the business. I mean, we pick up strangers. Nobody knows what could happen. But ever since that night, I work only days. During the summer itís 6 a.m. until 7 at night. I donít work when itís dark. Canít work when itís dark. Thereís just too much danger,Ē Denot said.

The Yellow Cab driver is one of only a lucky few who finds added safety in a plexiglas partition that serves as a border between himself and passengers. Thereís a small box that opens toward his backseat visitor. Payment is made through that compartment.

Denot works seven days a week, pays for leasing the cab and gas.

ďSome days, weíre lucky to make $10. Itís that bad out here. I donít know how much longer I will stay out here. Probably four months, maybe a little longer. But itís just time to retire or try to make some other kind of living,Ē Denot said.

Hertel Blair displayed his personal mental war wound regarding the danger of being a cabbie.

ďBack in the 1990s, I pick up this guy and the next thing I know heís got this knife against my throat. Iím driving down the street trying to keep from getting cut up while fighting with this guy,Ē Blair said.

Blair got the car pulled to the side of the street while his attacker fled.

Still, the 26-year cab veteran remained on the fence about a plexigas partition.

ďA lot of people donít like it, especially people who may be going to Princeton. They donít like feeling trapped like that. So, I donít know. The partition makes sense but Iím not scared. God takes care of me,Ē Blair promised.

Me, I could never imagine being a cab driver; too much intrigue, potential for injury or even death.

You never know if the passenger might shoot you or offer a generous tip.

My best advice is for city council members to pass new cab guidelines that requires in-car cameras plus a plexigas partition.

Sure, cab owners will attempt to funnel costs to cab drivers.

Thatís a fight for another day.

No, we canít save Big Ham, but maybe action now could save the life of Denot, Blair or any of the other cabbies who risk their lives to make a living.

≠ó L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Reach him at laparker@trentonian.com.